This is Part 2 of the Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook, a 4-part series for mid-market CEOs who want marketing to move the needle.

A CEO once said to me, “We know our product delivers real value. Our customers are happy. But when we show up in the market, it feels like we’re saying the same thing as everyone else.”

That stuck with me, not just because it was honest, but because it’s common. In crowded markets, sounding the same is the fastest way to become invisible. Buyers tune out. Sales cycles drag. Margins shrink. And despite how strong your actual offering is, you keep getting boxed in as “just another option.”

Here’s the truth: Most positioning problems aren’t messaging problems. They’re brand clarity problems.

Despite all the progress you’ve made—great tech, great team, solid traction, you get grouped with a sea of similar-sounding players. That’s not a messaging issue. It’s a brand clarity problem.

What’s Really Going On

If you dig into why positioning breaks down, it usually comes down to three things:

1. You’re using category clichés.
   Everyone claims to be “trusted,” “end-to-end,” “AI-powered,” or “customer-first.” Those aren’t differentiators. They’re wallpaper.
2. You’re trying to appeal to too many people.
   In the name of growth, companies flatten their message to avoid alienating anyone—and end up exciting no one.
3. You’re building in features, not belief.
   Feature lists don’t stick in the minds of buyers. Beliefs do. A sharp point of view creates memorability and momentum.

If your market doesn’t know what makes you meaningfully different, they’ll default to whoever is cheapest, fastest, or loudest. That’s a commoditization trap, and a tough place to build from.

The Brand Moat

A brand moat is built on clarity. It’s not your font or your funnel or your tagline. It’s the space you own in your buyer’s mind that’s hard to copy, easy to remember, and immediately valuable to the people who matter.

It’s what makes someone say: “Oh, you’re the company that…”

• Turns complexity into clarity. You helped us see our own business more clearly—and act faster because of it.
• Guides us through change without overwhelming the team. You helped us modernize in a way that our organization could absorb the change
• Understands our compliance challenges better than our team does and delivers what you promise, every time.

A real brand moat gives teeth to your positioning. It lets your company punch above its weight—because people remember you, trust you, and want to engage with you.

I saw this firsthand while working on a once-iconic global brand in mobile tech. We were no longer winning on specs, price, or app ecosystems, at least not by market standards. The default industry narrative had shifted: newer was better, faster was smarter, and we weren’t either.

But we had something the category was ignoring - deep cultural embeddedness. Our devices had history, reach, and trust - especially in emerging markets.

So, we shifted the frame. We stopped playing by the category codes of features and specs and leaned into human stories of connection, reliability, and belonging. It wasn’t nostalgia—it was clarity. That counter-narrative helped us reclaim relevance, win back mindshare, and re-engage consumers who had started to drift.

Positioning isn’t always about being “better.” Sometimes, it’s about being different in a way that matters more.

Four moves to build a Brand Moat

So how do you build that kind of clarity and separation without a two-year rebrand or seven-figure campaign?

Here are four potential moves, based on my experience:

Ask yourself how you would build this into ways of working:

In a market where everyone’s yelling, clarity is your unfair advantage. A sharp brand moat won’t just help you stand out; it will help you scale faster, sell better, and price higher.

If your positioning isn’t landing, neither is your pipeline. We work with mid-market CEOs to craft standout brand narratives that convert. Let’s sharpen your message and drive your growth.

*This is Part 2 of the Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook, a 4-part series for mid-market CEOs who want marketing to move the needle.

**Up next: How Marketing Can Deliver Predictable Outcomes**

Catch up on the full series:

• The Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook: Why Your Brand Is Your Most Powerful Compounding Asset
• The Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook, Part 2: In a Noisy Market, Make Clarity Your Competitive Edge